Mary Landrieu has represented Louisiana in one form or another since 1980. So it is amusing to see her suddenly discover that the state is a sexist sort of place at the exact moment that she has run into political trouble. It is even more amusing that she was immediately criticized for her insistence that “the South has not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans” by a dark-skinned Louisiana governor who has twice won by large margins and who won almost none of the minority vote. The South is “more of a conservative place,” Landrieu later suggested. Perhaps that might be why the polls are tight?